Winding Down at the Turning of the Year

New Year’s Day is still over a week away, but today is the solstice, and I am definitely in that gear that has me coasting gently downhill till the end of the month and year. This means that I am basically going with what the day brings, with little start-and-stop jerks as another box arrives to be opened, and I remember another small item to be wrapped. I played chauffeur for my son this morning, then ran a few errands that needed to be done before Xmas arrives. There are a few left, and I’ll fit them into the next two days. Husband did pick-up duties this evening, while I cleaned up from my meat-pie-cooking session this afternoon and swept bits of paper and ribbon off my desk.

All slow and easy.

If I were any good at geometry, I’d have the word to describe the arc of this pattern–the downward curve I’m on now, knowing that–unless you’re a delivery person or diving into stores for last-minute purchases–things are quiet and quietening all around me. When I look ahead along the arc, I know I’ll touch a happy bottom around New Years, then start the upward curve, with the momentum of this relaxation making the slope pretty easy to get up.

This year has been amazing, with all the (thankfully) usual good things compounded by writing my book and seeing it through the publishing process. Today, I heard from two friends that Amazon had shipped their copies–it’s heading out into the real world, and in January I’ll be seeing it on shelves in bookstores. Yes…amazing. It’s a bit like the gentle starts-and-stops of getting ready for Xmas–the excitement synapses just spark every now and then, catching me out of the cooking or the cleaning or the reading.

I’ve been looking at people’s photos on Facebook & Twitter of snow-covered hills and buildings. We don’t have that here; in fact, today was gray skies and drizzle that just left goopy leaf piles on the ground. Still, something about this season and this time of year brings the quiet I imagine from those photos. A quiet we all need, I think, to break patterns, shift gears, and get ready for the next year.

2010. Can you believe it? And can you even imagine what it might bring?

So glad you are enjoying the quiet end of the arc and have so much to look forward to next year! I know you work hard to keep the balance of writing and action, reflection and marketing: and that’s my new year’s wish for you, just to keep on with that. Oh, and another wish — hope somehow to see you in person! happy holidays, Becky!